


Rain, Herons, and Thalia Grace

by Darth0s



Series: The Three Signs Series [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Annabeth is smart, Artemis likes girl-Percy, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Herons are cute, Hurt/Comfort, Percy is awkward, Thalia is a Tree, luke is sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29276421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth0s/pseuds/Darth0s
Summary: It’s raining again; or the one where Percy, Camp Director, welcomes Luke and Annabeth to camp. Oneshot. god!Percy
Relationships: Artemis/Percy Jackson
Series: The Three Signs Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2152092
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47





	Rain, Herons, and Thalia Grace

_Camp Half-Blood, 2001_

Percy stared out of the window, silently listening to the rhythmic patter of rain, as it drummed a beat on the glass pane. It was miserable outside, though perhaps not as miserable as the two children seated behind him. The god of Heroes felt their anguish, and though they wouldn't understand, he felt their loss as deeply as they did themselves.

The events of the night prior were tragic, but Perseus didn't much care for that sentiment. He was angry. Angry at Hades. Angry at Zeus. Angry that the lives of his charges were cut short, often trivially, and pointlessly. The life and death of Thalia Grace was, no matter how cold it sounded, a textbook example of the fallibility his fellow deities held in abundance. Gods were as flawed as humans themselves, only when it came to mortals, their simple emotional vulnerabilities rarely lead to the deaths of innocents.

Percy was no exception. The North Sea Flood of 1953 still kept him awake at night.

Still, his feelings on the matter were largely irrelevant. What mattered were two children behind him, their stories, their feelings, their futures. Unfortunately, Percy always struggled to find the right words in these situations - what do you say to someone who's just lost their best friend?

It was the part of his job as Camp Director that he really hated, but it had to be done.

He turned away from the window, and sank into his desk-chair, observing the duo seated opposite. For lack of a better word, they both looked terrible, though that was hardly surprising. They had been given rooms upstairs, but he doubted they had caught much sleep. The girl, Annabeth, still had tear-marks on her cheeks, whilst the boy, Luke, was glaring down at the table. They had both been claimed the night before, but Percy thought it best that they wait until Morning before he shoved the inevitable baggage onto them.

Chiron had already given him the run-down of what had happened, so a re-telling wasn't necessary, and would only prove to worsen their already terrible moods. In any case, he had already been following their journey at the request of his mother, so he knew what they had gone through. He only wished he had been able to send a Satyr sooner. Perhaps the entire rancid mess could have been avoided…

"I like your eyes..." a voice sniffled, breaking Percy's momentary stupor.

He flickered his gaze to the girl, grey meeting grey. A second later, a small smile broke out on his face, recognising the unique sparkle of intelligence that only children of Athena had. He already knew of her parentage, of course, but if ever there was a tell-tale physical trait as to a demigods' heritage, it was the stormy grey eyes of Athena's offspring. He'd seen children of Poseidon with blue eyes, children of Hades with silver eyes, even a child of Love with red, but the grey - the grey never lied.

"Thank you, I like yours too. A gift from our mother, you know?" he returned knowingly

Already, he could see the cogs turning within Annabeth's head, simply because he used the word 'our', instead of 'your'.

"You're my brother," she quickly decided, affixing him with an analytical gaze that was wise beyond her years.

"One of them, at least. By my reckoning, there are four boys, and three girls in Cabin Six right now, all with grey eyes like us," he offered a small smile.

A look of excitement appeared on Annabeth's tear-stained visage, and she turned to Luke, gently tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Did you hear that, Luke? I've got brothers and sisters!" she almost bounced, and Percy could see the love in her eyes - the admiration and veneration she had for the son of Hermes. He was her brother in all but blood. Perseus imagined the same was true of Thalia.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. That's cool, 'Beth…" Luke mumbled quietly, giving Annabeth a ghost of a smile that never quite reached his pain-filled eyes, before frowning down at the table once again.

The perceptive daughter of Athena backed down, a flash of hurt passing across her face, but Luke wasn't the cause.

"I had a sister…" she sniffled, and Percy gave a sage nod.

"She loved you both a great deal, you know? Some would say sacrificing yourself for an ideal, or principle, is true heroism, but it's not. To face the inevitable, and walk willingly towards your fate, all in the name of protecting, and saving those you love? That's true heroism. Thalia won't be forgotten, so long as you both live, and that pine-tree stands," he tried to raise their understandably frayed spirits, but the two of them barely acknowledged his words.

Percy sighed. Time. They just needed time, he kept telling himself. It was just...harrowing that it had come to this.

He shook his head. The sooner they were with their siblings, the sooner they could start to heal. Until then, he had some formalities to go through.

"I wish you kids had different lives, truly. But...the die have been cast, and so all I can say is, welcome to Camp Half-Blood, a sanctuary for demigods, satyrs, nymphs, dryads, naiads, harpies, pegasi, wind spirits, and the occasional dragon. Lord Zeus has appointed me Camp Director, so I'm here to make sure you kids want for nothing. If you need anything, just let me know, and I'll see what I can do. Other than that, listen to your cabin counsellors, and pay attention in class. Oh, and please don't burn any of the cabins down. ...Any questions?" he said, to which the duo in front of him simply looked as though he had grown two heads, which he understood, considering he had just shoved a feastload onto them.

Annabeth opened her mouth, predictably, but Luke beat her to the punch, frowning at the god with those shattered blue eyes of his.

"You speak as though you're not a demigod like us. I mean, you look like a college student, no offence," he said, though it sounded as though he didn't care if he caused offence or not.

"So, would you prefer it if I looked like this?" Percy replied, and snapped his fingers once. In an instant, his entire appearance had changed, or at least, aged. Long, wispy white hair; a messy, scraggly beard; dark wrinkly skin… Ninety year-old Percy sucked, in his opinion, though if the kids' wide-eyed expressions were anything to go by, they got the message.

He snapped his fingers, turning back into his regular, eighteen year-old self - messy black hair and all.

"I can turn into a female too, but the last time I did that, my wife kept me awake for several days, so I shan't be doing that again," he said casually, shuddering a little at the thought. As it turned out, heroism came in all forms - Artemis was very happy when she found that out.

"You're a god..." Luke breathed, though Percy wasn't quite sure why the kid was so surprised. Hermes had already appeared to the boy, after all, and that was not forgetting the fact that they had been fighting monsters for who-knew how long.

The god flickered his gaze to his sister, immediately smiling, seeing that scrunched up look of concentration.

"Annabeth knows," he stated, putting the girl on the spot a little, but he had faith in her, despite her young age.

"You said you were my brother, which means Athena is your mother, but...Athena only had one godly son, so that makes you… Perseus, son of Poseidon and Athena, god of Tides, Courage, and…" she explained slowly, and almost perfectly. Almost.

"And..?" he teetered.

It took her a second or two, but she got there. "Heroes," she smiled proudly.

Percy clapped his hands, making Luke jump. "Bingo! You have your mother's intelligence, Annabeth. I'm jealous," he complimented, causing the daughter of Athena to blush.

"So...do we bow? Call you 'my lord'?" Luke quickly asked, unsure. Percy sort of understood the nervousness and surprise at that point. It was one thing to meet your coincidentally immortal father, but another thing entirely to meet a godly stranger, known only from dusty 'history' books.

"Call me Percy, and please don't bow. You'll make me blush. Er...word of advice, though...probably best to bow in the presence of other gods. Some of them can be quite...grouchy," the deity gave a friendly warning...and a rather prophetic one, because the roof decided, at that very moment, to collapse where Percy had been standing at the window several moments earlier. The demigod duo jumped, whilst the water poured in, soaking the dusty wooden flooring.

Percy blinked. That was...new.

"Hmm...looks like the rain's clearing up a little. Let me show you to your cabins," he eventually decided, and quickly stood, gesturing the duo towards the door, following them out silently. An underwater office wouldn't be too bad, now that he thought about it...

Percy stepped onto the porch, lost in thought, but still following the demigod duo. Of course, it was still chucking it down with rain, with even the occasional flash of lightning flickering in the distance.

Two pairs of eyes flickered his way.

"Zeus is understandably upset," he explained simply, before snapping his fingers once. The sound reverberated across camp in a decidedly unnatural manner, and after a second of silence, the clouds parted in cartoonish fashion, revealing the rays of the Sun in all its splendour. In an instant, the rain had stopped, though only within the borders of Camp. Out in the distance, thunder continued to cackle, but they had received a temporary reprieve from Zeus's anguish.

Almost immediately after, the first signs of life started to appear, and very quickly, the whole place was a hive of activity. Campers getting food, or heading to lessons - there were even several taking a dip in the Lake.

Despite the circumstances, Percy gave the duo a small grin, stepping out into the sunshine.

"Come on, let me introduce your brothers and sisters," he beckoned them after him, commencing the mini-tour.

Camp had certainly changed under his tutelage, he was proud to admit. Originally, the Big House was the only building that stood in the valley, but the inevitable problems that arose from having such conflicting, and powerful children in a single place, had compelled them to build specific cabins for each godly parent. At first, they had the Olympian Twelve, plus Hades, but they were slowly adding new cabins each year.

It made sense, really, to make sure there was at least semi-equal representation across the board, but Percy felt sorry for the campers who had no siblings of their own, and thus had to eat by their lonesome at dinner. Generally, he made sure those campers were grouped together for activities, as well as offering them a place in the Hermes Cabin, if they so wished to live there.

He had thought about expanding the magical borders, and building a small village for demigods that reached adulthood, but as of yet, too few were reaching the age of eighteen to make that viable. The gods' attitudes would first have to change for that to work. There were too many demigods being caught in the real world before the Camp had a chance to send a Protector after them. But that was a problem he would have to deal with, and not something that concerned his two new charges.

"Over there's the Mess Hall. Serves breakfast all day, unlike McDonald's," he hummed, pointing to the large, roofless, marble structure in the distance.

The ever-inquisitive daughter of Athena was firing out questions as fast as he could answer them, but Percy didn't mind. He was just happy she was talking, after what had happened. It was Luke he was most worried about, considering his age. Mortal teenagers were notoriously reticent, but it was his hope that the lively, boisterous crowd in Cabin Eleven would keep the boy grounded.

He finished explaining to Annabeth what an 'Iris Message' was just in time for them to arrive at the U-shaped collection of cabins. Well, it was more like an upside-down 'U' crossed off with a horizontal 'I' where the other cabins were, but still.

Surprisingly, Annabeth stopped talking as they toured the rows of cabins, apparently marvelling in the unique design and architecture each had. Percy used the opportunity to turn his attention to Luke, stopping him just in front of the unremarkable Cabin Eleven.

"Hey, my office will always be open if you want to talk. Or failing that, I'm only a short prayer away. I see the potential in you, Luke, but just remember that you have nothing to prove here. Not to me, not to your siblings, and especially not to your father, okay?" he said, watching as the kid tried to look everywhere but his face, though he eventually gave a small nod.

Percy sighed, though he supposed that was the best he was going to get for now. Time healed all wounds, or so he hoped, but he couldn't help but wonder if Luke and Thalia were romantically involved. It would explain a few things.

He led Luke up the wooden steps onto the cabin-porch, sparing a quick glance towards Annabeth, who seemed lost in her own world, staring up at the steaming Hephaestus cabin, before flickering his eyes to the demigod next to him.

"Brace yourself..." he warned, before knocking on the door twice.

There was an immediate flurry of activity, and Percy had to assume the kids within were doing something they shouldn't have been doing. So long as whatever it was didn't burn down Camp, it was none of his business…

The door opened after a few seconds. Kinda. Only wide enough for a head to peer back at them...or three, one on top of the other. Six eyes blinked at them 'innocently', and Percy had to suppress yet another sigh.

"Got a new camper for you," he announced simply, knowing there was a vague sense of ceremony when it came to Cabin Eleven, for whatever reason.

The trio looked between their new sibling and the godly Camp Director.

"Regular, or undetermined?" one of them asked.

"Regular. Try and refrain from corrupting him like the last twenty that have gone through this door," he accused, though he couldn't deny that the wide grins that broke out onto their faces filled him with warmth, the door quickly opening so they could swallow their new sibling into their den of thieves.

"You wound us deeply, Mr. P," one of them fired back, whilst the other two gently tugged Luke into their clutches.

Percy rolled his eyes, though nonetheless smiled. "They're good kids, Luke," he tried to reassure the newly claimed demigod, but the teen was looking elsewhere.

He followed those characteristically blue eyes to the figure of Annabeth in the distance.

"You'll see her at lunch, Luke. We'll talk more later," the god promised, and managed to catch one fleeting glimpse of Luke's nervous exterior, before the door shut with a solid click. Percy shook his head. With any luck, he'd be a master prankster in no time at all.

He quickly turned his attention towards Annabeth, feeling a little more at ease about tending to her compared to Luke, but when he looked towards Cabin Nine, those blonde princess curls were missing.

After a _brief_ minute of searching, he was relieved to find her staring up at the marble exterior of Cabin One, and he walked over, kneeling behind her silently.

"This would have been Thalia's home…" she said sadly.

Percy didn't really know what to say to that, though the hurt in her voice tugged at his heartstrings. No matter how many times he saw men, women, and children experience a loss, it never got easier.

Luckily, her perceptive, inquisitive nature saved him.

"Where's Luke?" she asked, turning towards him, and looking over his shoulder.

Percy gave her a small smile.

"He's with his siblings. You'll see him at lunch in a couple of hours. Would you like to meet your brothers and sisters now?" he tempted her.

Annabeth's lips twitched as she appeared to consider his offer, but she quickly gave a small nod, and Percy offered his hand to her, which she dutifully took. They silently walked across the green, hand in hand, and he found himself resolved to keep a close eye on her, and not just because she was his sister...or because mother had told him to. She had been through a lot, physically, and emotionally, and with her mortal family on the other side of the country, there wasn't really anyone she could rely on. Her siblings would fill some gaps, definitely, but he'd be there for her, if she ever needed him.

They paused outside the grey structure, under the watchful gaze of the owl symbol, emblazoned on the doors.

Once more, he kneeled before her, offering his outstretched palm.

"Here. For all the birthdays I've missed," he said lamely, but on his hand, an eight-inch tall plush _poofed_ into existence.

A look of surprise lit up Annabeth's face, and the son of Poseidon couldn't help but smile too.

"T-thank you, Percy…" she said, tentatively reaching out, and gently plucking it from his fingers, as though she was afraid it would abruptly disappear.

"It's a heron. Seeing as you'll be seeing a lot of owls in your time here, I thought I'd give you something different. They're patient and wise birds, so-hnf!" he explained, only to be cut off by a soft weight crashing into him.

For a few seconds, he didn't know what to do - he'd never been hugged by anyone other than Artemis before. Paternal instinct quickly overcame him, though, and his comparatively large arms wrapped themselves around Annabeth's back, hugging her tightly to his chest. A storm of emotion overcame him, and he silently wondered if it was normal to feel so unravelled by a mere gesture.

Annabeth was the first to pull back, and Percy felt grateful she did so, else he probably would have remained there for hours, stunned.

"Thank you, Percy," she repeated, before turning on her heel, and jumping up the steps to the imposing, celestial-bronze doors. The god watched her knock twice, clutching his gift tightly as she did so.

They creaked open, and the visage of Leah, counsellor of Cabin Six, appeared, raising a quizzical brow at the sight of a peppy child, and an immobile god behind her.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," the girl announced, holding out her hand for the older demigod.

Leah just looked even more confused, but a wide grin appeared on Percy's face thereafter. The grey never lied.

"Your new sister, Leah," he explained simply, and from that moment, she understood, sending the Camp Director a knowing nod, before her attention shifted to the small fry before her.

"Pleasure to meet you, Annabeth. Want to see our library?" the older girl offered, gently shaking Annabeth's hand.

"Yes, please!" was the reply she received, and after a quick glance sent Percy's way, Annabeth disappeared inside the cabin, leaving a shaken god in her wake.

It was a fair few moments before he moved again, standing up with an overwhelming urge to see his silver-eyed partner again.

He blazed away from camp, though not before glancing towards the tall pine-tree in the distance.

"Be proud, Thalia Grace," he whispered, voice lost in the gentle sea-breeze left in his wake.

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how I feel about this one. Still, two one-shots in as many days, so I'm pretty happy. I think this whole 'Perseus, God of Tides ect' thing will turn into a series of one-shots, updated in no particular order.
> 
> I'm happy to take requests too! And as always, tell me what you think below. It really does help.


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